HMV “Three Vital Qualities” · Pre-war and wartime record sleeves up to 1945

“His Master’s Voice”: “Three Vital Qualities” and “Invitation to the Waltz”

An HMV sleeve with an orchestra and a cabinet gramophone on the front, and an advertisement for one record on the back.

Dating at a glance

Printed: December 1927 or later
probably c. 1928 – 1930
In use: The late 1920s, perhaps into the early 1930s
Confidence: High for the lower limit. Low for the upper limit
Basis: The record advertised on the back, which was issued in December 1927

The sleeve

Brown paper printed in dark brown. Front: THREE VITAL QUALITIES: 1·GREATEST ARTISTS 2·FINEST RECORDING 3·PERFECT REPRODUCTION, with a drawing of a conductor and orchestra, a record and a cabinet gramophone, and “His Master’s Voice” GRAMOPHONES AND RECORDS at the foot.

Back: a dancing couple and the words INVITATION TO THE WALTZ A Record that appeals to Everybody PLAYED BY THE PHILADELPHIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA RECORD D-1285 ASK YOUR DEALER TO PLAY THIS RECORD OVER FOR YOU. A faint pencilled number is written at the top right.

Brown HMV sleeve front reading Three Vital Qualities: greatest artists, finest recording, perfect reproduction, with an orchestra, a record and a cabinet gramophone. — Front. Select the image for a larger view.

Brown HMV sleeve back with a dancing couple advertising Invitation to the Waltz, played by the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, record D-1285. — Back, advertising record D 1285.

The evidence

DocumentedThe record. HMV D 1285 is Weber’s Invitation to the Waltz by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski. It was recorded for Victor on 2 May 1927 (matrix CVE-37495; Discography of American Historical Recordings) and issued in Britain in December 1927 (45cat).
InferredSo, printed in December 1927 or later. A sleeve advertising a single new record was probably printed while that record was being promoted, so 1928 to about 1930 is likely. The record stayed in the catalogue for years, so a later printing cannot be ruled out.

Sources

Discography of American Historical Recordings, Victor matrix CVE-37495: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/800011751/CVE-37495-Invitation_to_the_waltz
45cat, Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra 78s on HMV (D 1285, December 1927): https://www.45cat.com/78rpm/artist/philadelphia-symphony-orchestra

What we could not find

A dated example of the sleeve, or an HMV trade notice for it.
When D 1285 was deleted from the catalogue.

Researched 12 November 2026 from Simon’s photographs of that evening.